Joan Leona Donelson, of Melbourne, passed Sunday, August 27, with her family by her side.

She was born to the late Arthur and Catherine Kafarski, on February 24, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois. Joan graduated from Kelvyn Park High School in 1954.

Joan worked as an executive secretary in the insurance industry, where she met and fell in love with Roger L Donelson, her husband of 58 years. They married on August 29, 1959. They lived together in Evanston and Glenview IL, Tampa FL, Ft Lauderdale FL, Sylvania OH, Norcross GA, Burlington NC, and Cincinnati OH, before retiring to Melbourne in 1997.

Joan cared greatly for her family, enjoyed reading, and travel. She and Roger took over 20 cruises to locations such as Alaska, Norway, Atlantic Canada, Hawaii, and all of the Caribbean islands.

She is survived by her husband, Roger, of Melbourne; her daughter, Amy Murphy, of Ontario, Canada; and her sister Kathy Miller, of Indiana. She is also survived by six nieces and nephews.

Anyone wishing to send the family a message or share a story is asked to visit Joan's memorial page at www.davisseawinds.com